Chapter 396: Chapter 359: Back and Forth, We’re Even
Their eyes were filled with a fear of the unknown and an uneasy apprehension about what was to come.
The words spoken just now by Chang Bailin, the chief of Xia Shui Village, seemed to imply that once the sacrificial ritual began, the legendary Mountain God would descend upon this place.
’What could this Mountain God possibly look like?’
’Are there really Deities in this world, watching over and protecting everyone from the shadows?’
Every young face was filled with curiosity and anticipation.
Their gazes were like those of small beasts in the dark, yearning to see the light,
filled with both a longing for the unknown and a hint of disbelief.
"Mountain God?"
Chu He stood in the crowd, a slight smirk playing on his lips.
"Is there a problem?"
Lai Yu Yao tilted her head slightly toward Chu He, her body unconsciously leaning closer to him.
She asked in a low voice laced with worry,
like a frightened little bird seeking shelter with its flock.
"There’s definitely a problem."
Chu He replied in an equally low voice, his gaze deep and sharp,
as if he had already pierced the thick fog of mystery shrouding this seemingly ordinary ritual.
"I also feel like something’s not right. I’m with you on this.
Since this is a sacrificial ritual, why aren’t there any offerings anywhere?
Don’t you need to prepare offerings for the Mountain God?"
Lai Yu Yao stood among the crowd,
her eyes scanning the area like searchlights,
trying to find any clue in her surroundings to resolve the doubt in her heart.
The surrounding villagers of Xia Shui Village...
Some gripped hoes, their cold metal surfaces glinting under the firelight, ready to become deadly weapons at a moment’s notice.
Others held pitchforks, their sharp tines like a row of menacing fangs.
Still others shouldered carrying poles, which swayed slightly with their movements.
But strangely, among all these people, not a single one carried any ritual offerings.
Moreover, they all stood on the periphery, staring intently at the young men and women.
Their gazes seemed to burn with some unknown, unsettling fire,
a flame both intense and bizarre, hiding some ulterior motive.
"Village Chief, aren’t you and the other villagers going to join the ritual?"
Zou Baixuan couldn’t hold back his confusion any longer and spoke up.
After all, the young students who had come for the graduation party
had already obediently taken their positions as Chang Bailin instructed.
But the villagers of Xia Shui Village weren’t coming over.
This was not what Chang Bailin had implied earlier.
Chang Bailin had clearly said that everyone would receive the Mountain God’s blessing together
so they could all protect themselves during this Evil Spirit crisis.
"Now, now, don’t be hasty. As I’ve said, you are honored guests from afar.
And since you’re all so young, it’s only right that the Mountain God blesses you first.
And as for us, everyone in Xia Shui Village... well, we will remember you forever."
Chang Bailin spoke unhurriedly as he slowly backed away, step by step.
He wore a gentle smile the entire time, but for some reason, that smile held a faint, bone-chilling coldness.
It was like a winter wind—seemingly soft, yet capable of seeping right into your bones,
making a chill rise from the depths of your heart.
"Why do I feel like something is really wrong?"
a young woman frowned, her voice trembling slightly.
Her eyes, like those of a frightened fawn, shone with unease.
"No way... No way... There isn’t something wrong with this Mountain God, is there?"
A boy next to her chimed in, his face slightly pale.
Tiny beads of sweat had formed on his forehead, glistening under the firelight and betraying his frayed nerves.
"If there’s a problem with the Mountain God, then why would the villagers of Xia Shui Village worship him? It’s too strange."
Another young man wearing glasses pushed them up his nose and analyzed the situation, his face full of doubt.
A trace of vigilance showed in his eyes, as if he had already caught the scent of danger.
The young people began to break out in hushed, worried conversation.
The noisy chatter echoed across the silent ritual grounds.
Many were filled with anxiety. The bizarre situation surrounded them like a thick fog,
enveloping them completely and making them increasingly uneasy.
Several of them began to tremble uncontrollably, as if a chill were shooting up from the soles of their feet straight to their hearts.
Just then, Chang Bailin raised his hand high
and with a powerful, booming voice like the toll of a great bell, he shouted, "Let the sacrificial ritual for the Mountain God officially begin!"
His voice echoed through the night sky, shattering the tense, oppressive atmosphere,
yet somehow making it even heavier.
At his command, all the villagers sprang into action.
They first threw the hoes and pitchforks they were gripping tightly onto the ground.
The tools landed with a loud CLANG,
which sounded especially jarring in the silence, like some kind of ominous portent.
Then, they quickly bent down and picked up the sturdy hemp ropes that lay at their feet.
The ropes were long and thick, marked with mottled stains,
as if eroded by time.
The villagers gripped the ropes tightly and began to pull with all their might, working in unison.
The taut ropes were like a giant python,
moving slowly in their hands.
As the ropes were pulled,
the black cloth hanging on the towering structure was gradually pulled away,
like a stage curtain being slowly drawn for a mysterious performance about to begin.
The black cloth was finally pulled down completely,
landing on the ground with a THUD and kicking up a small cloud of dust.
When everyone saw clearly what was beneath the black cloth,
the young men and women, including the usually composed Yu Yingjie,
all wore expressions of sheer horror.
Their eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.
The color instantly drained from their faces, replaced by a deathly pallor.
An indescribable wave of fear and rage surged in everyone’s heart,
like a monstrous tide crashing wildly within their chests.
At that moment, the smiles on the faces of Chang Bailin and the villagers of Xia Shui Village reached their peak.
Their smiles were so twisted, like evil flowers blooming in the dark, full of grotesquery and malice.
"Children, we’re really counting on you this time."
Chang Bailin stood at the very front of the Xia Shui villagers, saying with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes,
his voice dripping with false sincerity.
He was like a cunning fox deceiving its prey. "Every man, woman, and child in Xia Shui Village will never forget you.
This is a great meritorious deed! To be able to perform such a deed at your young age...
well, you have us, Xia Shui Village, to thank for that.
So, when you look at it that way, we don’t owe each other a thing."
However, as all the young men and women stared at Chang Bailin,
the same two words couldn’t help but surface in their minds: Utterly shameless!
Their eyes filled with fury and contempt,
as if they were looking at a despicable villain, wishing they could rush forward and rip that phony mask right off his face!
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